(eTN) Ngeli xesha lonyaka, izigidi zeentlanzi ezisuka kumathafa ezikhukula zibanjiswa kumlambo omkhulu waseZambezi kwaye zidada emazantsi omlambo iimayile. Xa zidlula kwiingxangxasi, iingobozi zokuloba zilinda ubusuku bonke. Ekuseni, abalobi abachwayitileyo baphuma ngeemakora zabo ukuze bakhuphe iingobozi zabo baze balungiselele ukubanjiswa ngobusuku obulandelayo.
Saya kuthelela kwi-bonanza yokuvuna kwangethuba ngenye intsasa eyayibanda. Sithabatha “idada zerabha” elinenjini, sangena kwimisinga kufuphi neRoyal Chundu ukuze sihlole abalobi nezinto abazibambisileyo ngaloo mini. Inxalenye yethu yokuqala yomlambo yayingasentla ngomjelo. Amanzi ayebaleka ngokukhawuleza kangangokuba kwakungenzima ukuba siqhubele phambili. Ukuze uqonde amandla abalobi bee-makora, kufuneka ukholelwe ukuba babesigqithise!
Ukungena kumjelo omkhulu, umlambo wawuqhaqhazelis’ amazinyo, amaza ebetha emacaleni ephenyane. Inkungu yayingqindilili phezu komlambo, iintaka zibukele amanzi phezulu ezincotsheni zemithi. Kwakubanda kakhulu… kwaye ngoku iinyawo zam zazimanzi. Ndibambelele emacaleni ephenyane, ndaziva ndikhululekile kodwa ndandisazi ukuba ndandingenakuba semakora – ezo zinto zenzelwe iingcaphephe; nokuhlala kuzo bubuchule.
Sahamba saya kutsho kumjelo ukuze sibone iingobozi zikhutshwa emlanjeni. Abalobi babopha intambo eyomeleleyo phakathi kweepali ezimbini baze, koku, bakhusele iingobozi zabo. Ibhaskithi nganye nganye iyasuswa kwaye ifakwe kwi-makora. Xa iphenyane lizele ziingobozi, basiwa esiqithini baze bangabi nanto.
Sabalandela sangena esiqithini ukuze siye kubona. Iingobozi zagalelwa emazantsi e-makora, ezinye iintlanzi zisashukuma. Iintlanzi zazizintlobo ngeentlobo zeemilo kunye nobukhulu, kodwa iparrotfish yayibonwa ngokucacileyo kumabala ayo abomvu natyheli.
Safumana i<em>tigerfish, i<em>barbel, intlanzi etyheli, i<em>minnows, ii<em>churchill, i<em>bottlefish, ibulldog, abaphangi kwakunye ne<em>parrotfish. Ngawaphi amagama angaqhelekanga ezi ntlanzi zinawo. Andingomlobi so ibintsha yonke lento kum. Ndajonga nje ndoyika ukuba kukho iintlobo ngeentlobo zeentlanzi emlanjeni. Ngokweencwadi, kukho iintlobo ezingaphezu kwama-60 kulo mmandla weZambezi.
Emva kokuba sibabukele belayisha izikhephe zabo besiya kumhlaba omkhulu, nathi sagoduka, simanzi kwakhona kodwa sijonge phambili kwikomityi eshushu yekofu nokomisa iikawusi nezihlangu.
Sisekofini, sathetha ngemikhwa ye<em>parrotfish, esandishiya ndididekile. Kodwa oku koko siye sagqiba ngengqiqo ethile. Ndiyavuya ukuxelelwa ukuba andilunganga ndicela undazise.
Izigidi ze-parrotfish zehla ngomlambo ngeli xesha lonyaka - phakathi kukaJuni no-Agasti. Zingabondla abasezantsi kwaye azikho zomeleleyo njengeengwe. Ababuyeli phezulu enyakeni - njengoko isalmon isenza, umzekelo. Ngoko ke, iintlanzi ziyehla zihlale apho. I<em>parrotfish ezininzi zisala kumandlalo ompapiri emantla omlambo, yaye zezi zizalela kunyaka olandelayo. Ezo zihamba emazantsi omlambo mhlawumbi zifumana iindawo ezintsha zokuzala okanye azizalisi.
Ndagqiba kwelokuba intlanzi mayibhaqwe sisivunguvungu samanzi njengoko ishiya amathafa kwaye igxalathelana ukuya ezantsi. Into eyasibhidayo kukuba iintlanzi zibonakala zisihla ngomlambo kuphela kubusuku obumnyama xa kungekho nyanga. Bathanda naxa kubanda. Andikwazi ukuqonda ukuba kutheni le nto inokuba njalo. Ngaba kukho nabani na onayo imibono?
Abalobi bonke basebenzisa iingobozi ezenziwe ekuhlaleni. Isakhiwo esiphambili senziwe ngeengcongolo, ezibotshelelwe kunye nentambo eyenziwe ngamagqabi omthi wesundu. Ingobozi inikwa amandla kungqameko olungaphezulu ngokusebenzisa amasebe omthi we mopane. Konke kubukrelekrele kakhulu. Kakade ke, indlela yabo yokubambisa iintlanzi besebenzisa iingobozi ilondolozeke ngokupheleleyo njengoko bebambisa kuphela inxalenye encinane kwezo zidlula kula majelo. Masithembe ukuba ikamva alibonisi ukuba libi kwiintlanzi kwaye imisebenzi emikhulu yokuthengisa ngeminatha ayithathi ndawo.
Ijelo ngalinye liphethwe lusapho olwahlukileyo - oku kugqitywe phakathi kwabo, kwaye akukhe kudala nakuphi na ukulwa. Inzuzo ilungile kubo bonke. Emaphandleni, kwiinyanga ezimbalwa ezizayo, iilali ziye zaseka iivenkile zazo – zithengisa yonke into ukusuka kwiintlanzi ukuya kwiibhatata, ukusuka kwintlama yamazinyo ukuya kwiimpahla ezisetyenzisiweyo. Kwaqengqeleka iinyanga ezimbini, wonke umntu esonwabile – sabona igubu lechibuku lithwalwa lisiwa emlanjeni njengoko sasihamba.
Uninzi lweentlanzi zomisiwe, kodwa i-parrotfish ikhethekileyo kuba ingumthombo wamafutha okupheka, anokuhlala unyaka wonke, ukuba iqhutywe ngokufanelekileyo. Intlanzi iyasikwa kwaye esiswini kukho iqhuma lamanqatha. Kubekwe imbiza emlilweni ibe neengcongolo eludinini, aze amanqatha abekwe phezu kweengcongolo. Njengoko imbiza ishushu, amafutha ayanyibilika aze athontsizele embizeni engezantsi. U-SK, umkhenkethisi wethu, wathi uyise uqokelela malunga neelitha ezingama-20 zeoli ngale ndlela, kwaye uyisebenzisa unyaka wonke ekuphekeni kwakhe.
Ngokukhawuleza nje ukuba i-parrotfish iqalise, iindaba zisasazeka kuLivingstone. Iiteksi ziqalisa ukufika zithenge intlanzi ezomisiweyo zize zizibuyisele emarikeni. Sadibana neteksi enye, ukuntlitheka kwemoto, ityhalwa kwindlela enamatye - ekugqibeleni yaqalisa, kodwa umntu uyazibuza ukuba ingaba ixesha elingakanani na.
Le nto kum imalunga neAfrika. Sisivuno esizinzileyo ngokupheleleyo; abantu bebesenza izizukulwana ngezizukulwana. Kumnandi kumntu wonke kwaye kuxabiseke kakhulu kwezoqoqosho kubemi balapho. Masithembe ukuba iya kuhlala injalo.
INTO ONOKUYITHATHA KWELI NQAKU:
- Holding on to the sides of the dinghy, I felt quite relaxed but knew that I could not have been in a makora – those things are made for experts.
- I decided that the fish must get caught up in the whirl of water as it leaves the floodplains and rushes downstream.
- Of course, their method of catching the fish using baskets is totally sustainable as they catch only a small proportion of those that pass through the channels.
